The Crimson Lottery
by NuzzleBunny
Summary: Toys... who doesn't like getting new toys? It's a well-known fact that nearly everyone prefers GETTING toys to BECOMING one! Still, as Hisoka and Illumi work together to take on a risky mission, they begin to realize that just might be the situation they've gotten themselves into. CONTENT WARNING: Violence, course language, sexual suggestiveness (typical Hisoka debauchery)
1. Chapter 1: Risky Business

**THE CRIMSON LOTTERY**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Just a disclaimer that I do not own the rights to any Hunter x Hunter character! This is merely a fan written sub-arc involving Hisoka and Illumi. Chronologically, it takes place during the same time as Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were training to open the gates to the Zoldyck estate to rescue Killua (between approximately February 8th, 1999 to March 1st, 1999).

Also, as a content warning, my writing style is often gritty and broaches a wide variety of topics. There may be violence, gore, swearing, sexuality, rape, slavery, and other subjects included in my writing, so if any of these are triggers for you then do not proceed or proceed with caution.

**March 26th, 2015** \- Part 2 and Part 3 for Chapter 1 are COMING SOON!  
**March 29th, 2015** \- After writing the next part to the story, I've decided to upload each part as their own little chapter. It's hard for people who have read Part 1 already to be notified when Part 2 is added to the document and each part already tells its own unique part of the story. :)

**COVER IMAGE**

"今すぐキミを壊したい... " ("Now, I want to brake the Kimi...")  
by えち ("Echi")

BIG thank you to Haku for giving me the name of the artist!

**CHAPTER ONE  
**"Risky Business"

It's all fun and games until someone loses their mind…

Never had it occurred to him, though, that he'd be the one sitting in the dimly lit room. His sanity, pleading for sanctuary with prayers consisting of needy, desperate noises mumbled through clenched teeth. Truth be told, it came as a bit of a shock to him that he had any mind left to lose at this point! Absurdities and sadistic delusions were familiar - welcome, even! Yet, rarely did they ever reach the fever pitch he felt that night. A mingled look of lust and cruel intentions crawled across his pale face, with golden eyes that belied the pleasure of every tingle that burst through his nerves.

"So. Many. New. Toys…", Hisoka sighed out each word breathlessly. He squirmed at the idea; arms hugging and nails digging into goose-pimpled flesh to contain himself. He gave a pleasured gasp when soft skin broke through to unleash his crimson bliss.

As a child, poverty stole from him the joy of experiencing Christmas morning. Most other children would wake up before the crack of dawn to peek at their presents. Likewise, Hisoka would also wake early on Christmas Day. Not to look for presents (of which there were always none), but rather to quietly steal a few jenny, before heading out to buy a pack of sweet bubblegum from the corner store. In this moment tonight, however, he suddenly imagined that this sensation must be what the other children - the luckier children - would have felt those mornings. He could tell it was the same, because of the frantic overload of temptation that bade him to tear into flesh, like wrapping paper, to unveil his new toy felt as primal as the need to possess something incredible… to own both their life and their future, then brake them like cheap plastic...

Truthfully, as far as he was concerned, the excitement of never fully knowing exactly what hid beneath the wrapping was what brought him the most joy. It was the wait… the tantalizing, little glimpses he'd catch of the prize… that was practically orgasmic!

"…I'll be patient, though," he promised his grinning reflection, pressing a sweat-drenched hand against the fogged window. "It's always better when the fruit is ripe."

There came a sudden knock at the door that shook him from his thoughts. Though he didn't flinch, his eyes still widened slightly. His late-night visitor might have been using Zetsu to hide their presence but, thanks to the almost robotic way in which they knocked, it did little to hide their identity. Slowly, his gaze shifted towards the reflection in the window of the door behind him. He bade the visitor to enter and was joined moments later by another young man.

The man entered the room gracefully and immediately sat down on the bed without uttering a single word. Though he exuded an air that was easily underestimated, due to the man's void expression, Hisoka knew it was in his best interest never to drop his guard. Still, curiosity was never a trait he found easy to deny himself the pleasure of, as the urge to stare was simply impossible to resist. Truthfully, he admired the man: a toned physique - no doubt achieved through years of rigorous and disciplined assassin's training. His ivory skin gave his rather lean face an appearance, that was all too eerily mask-like. High cheekbones caught in the single overhead light in the room, and cast a shadow. Yet, it was his eyes that captivated Hisoka the most. They were empty… looking into them was like staring into an pitch-black abyss. At this very moment, he came to realize they were currently peering at him patiently through a few stubborn strands of smooth, long, raven hair.

"Oh. Hello, Illumi. To what do I owe the pleasure?," he broke the silence and Illumi turned his face to fully stare.

"Hello, Hisoka. I've come with an unusual request to make of you." The response was rather flat.

"Hm? You do move fast," Hisoka chuckled playfully. "We haven't even had our first fight, yet!"

"Funny…"

"You think so?" he crooned, peeking at the man through long, graceful fingers. The palm of Hisoka's hand had been held against the cold window pane but was now pressed against his face and offering some relief against the breaking fever.

"M-hm. Honestly, though, you're not too far off." It was odd to see Illumi's typically static face grow into an inkling of a smile… chilling but somehow sort of sweet. Nonetheless, Hisoka was now genuinely intrigued! The man hadn't struck him as a naughty type…

"Really? Do tell!"

"A rather sensitive mission has been assigned to me. Now that the Hunter Exam is complete, I wonder if you might assist me with it?"

"Oh?" Hisoka wondered if it was odd that felt somewhat disappointed. "Well, that's not quite what I was hoping but I'll nibble. What's the mission?"

"Unfortunately, the requirement is that you must sign a confidentiality agreement before I can give you the details," Illumi rustled around in the front of his shirt and pulled out a slightly crumpled contract.

"Hmm… but that's not how I typically conduct my business…"

"Apologies, but I've simply been trained to cover my bases both physically and legally-speaking when it comes to handling sensitive information."

"Well, in that case, I suppose there's no harm in simply signing a non-disclosure. Who am I going to blab about it to anyway? First, though, what's in it for me?"

"Your payment will be 3 million jenny-"

"Pass," Hisoka quickly turned up his nose at the offer. "Money is of no interest to me."

"I figured as much," the look on Illumi's face was one of the few emotions he did know how to show: annoyance. "That is why I thought I'd throw something else in to sweeten it."

"I'm listening…"

"I've decided to also offer you a favour…"

"A favour? From you?!" He almost couldn't believe it!

"Correct. Once the mission is successful, you may ask me for this favour at any time."

Well! Now, that WAS tempting! A side mission was definitely not in his plan. In fact, his plan was to return to York New City immediately, but the potential usefulness of a favour from one of the famous Zoldyck assassins could be well worth the mild annoyance of losing time.

"Alright, but one more thing…"

"Certainly."

"Why can't you just do this mission on your own?"

Illumi paused but gave no visible indication of his thoughts. Instead he simply rose to his feet and walked methodically towards him: "Sign and I'll tell you. Signing it doesn't mean you have to accept the mission. You simply won't be allowed to discuss it."

Hisoka stood to face the man, who handed him the contract. He took it warily and began reading it carefully. Ultimately it was simply a standard confidentially agreement, with no hidden terms.

"Okay. This is acceptable," Hisoka smiled and reached for the pen Illumi offered. He signed it and quickly passed it back.

"Most excellent," though Illumi's expression remained stoic, he sounded quite pleased. "Now, then. Let's discuss the details..."


	2. Chapter 2: On The Rocks

**CHAPTER TWO  
**"On The Rocks"

If he were being honest (an altogether rare event, in any case), Hisoka likely would have admitted that he'd never expected to be aboard an airship on his way to York New City. Well, that wasn't entirely true… Going to York New definitely was in the cards, but arriving on the private Zoldyck airship was certainly a surprise. Even more so was the case of becoming a willing prisoner within hours of landing. Yes - it was these two things that had set his nerves aflutter during this trip. Yet, the suspense of the unknown had its merit; it made the tumbler he was clutching, which was topped off with a fine brandy on ice, taste all that much sweeter.

"You look good," Illumi announced upon his arrival, which somewhat startled him and caused the ice in his glass to rattle loudly. That man's footsteps were quieter than death; a skill that was both considerable and undoubtedly an impressive result from being a trained assassin.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on a guy like that."

"Ah. My bad. Force of habit… you really do clean up nicely, though," Illumi seemed genuinely impressed, as he took the seat across from him. Hisoka didn't doubt that it'd be hard for anyone to believe that he could ever pull off such refined composure, with wildness and whimsy being his typical fashion.

Normally, he'd whisk his wavy, scarlet locks up and away from his face in a fiery spectacle. Now, however, his hair was left down: slicked back behind the ears, with the exception of a few strands that fell across his characteristically charming gaze. He had put on a tailored burgundy suit, and a white, collared shirt too. Finding a tie to match was a pain, as he rarely attended formal occasions, but Illumi kindly lent him one of his: a bold canary yellow one.

"You can keep the tie." Illumi signaled for the waiter. He was also dressed in similar attire, but the fabric of his suit was a brilliant shade of emerald that looked quite fetching on him, Hisoka thought.

"How generous of you."

"Don't think too much of it," he muttered. "It's just a tie…"

"...I won't, then," Hisoka smiled coyly.

"Whiskey… on the rocks… and I better not see any ice," Illumi snapped at the waiter coldly, before turning back to Hisoka and adding with some disdain: "The idiots always get it wrong."

"How unfortunate," was all he could think to reply and took a subtle sip from his watered down brandy.

"It is. By the way, we'll be landing soon. Are you ready for this?"

"Oh, of course! But…"

"Hm?"

"Well, there is one thing… About this man… Rem Valhoof…"

"The target? What about him?"

The waiter returned promptly to serve the drink but, as he turned to leave, with one fluid motion Illumi had taken a firm hold of his wrist and kept him close while he carefully inspected for ice. He only let go after the beverage was deemed acceptable and, with a small sigh of relief, the man quickly scuttled off to make himself busy behind the bar. Hisoka watched the scene unfold with a smile and considered he likely lives in constant fear, that every drink he makes could potentially be his last. That thought amused him for a few moments, before he refocused on the discussion:

"Where was I? Ah, yes. 'What about him'? Well, it's just that he's one of the top suppliers in York New City's black market, right?"

"Correct. So?"

"So… with such an influential target and so much muscle behind him, shouldn't we know what's in those documents we're risking our lives to get?"

"We're not risking our lives for that," came the clipped reply. "We're risking them for the money... and, in your case, a favour. The client wants the documents and have paid me to procure them. I don't ask what they're for… Besides, I'll be the one handling that, so why do you care?"

"I don't, really. Just curious is all," Hisoka smiled meekly. The tone in Illumi's voice warned him not to press the matter.

"Nothing good ever comes from curiosity… Just focus on completing your part."

"Yes. Get the target's password then eliminate him. Don't worry! I won't fail…"

"That's encouraging to hear. I'll be depending on you obtaining that code so that I can gain access to the network."

"I'll handle it," he clicked his tongue with mild annoyance. Was Illumi doubting his capabilities now? "What's wrong, Illumi? You seem eager."

"Do I?" He gave Hisoka a bewildered expression, "Well, perhaps I am. I received a troubling update before I came here to meet you."

"Oh?"

"I was informed that our timing might be a disadvantage. Apparently, Rem and his crew are preoccupied with acquiring in-demand products for an underground auction to take place soon. Getting in is the easy bit, because we'll be entering the compound as product, but…"

"…But they'll be stepping up security to protect such valuable goods… I see… How inconvenient."

"Mmm," Illumi replied and sipped at his drink. "Once inside, we'll have to move quickly to get the job done. No hesitations. No mistakes…"

"Of course, but then there's also that Nen user he has in his service."

"The body guard, Abu Dolan."

"Abu… what sort of name is that? More importantly, though, have you any word on what his ability is?"

"No. Nothing. None of my sources have ever seen him in action."

"Well… no matter," sighed Hisoka breathlessly. He could feel the twinge of anticipation settle in. "Not knowing just makes things that much more exciting!"

"Yes. We mustn't forget to enjoy ourselves."

Just then, a young attendant entered the lounge and briskly walked towards them with a sweetened smile. Bending over in a low bow, they were left left stunned when her forehead met the table they were sharing with a loud, "_CRACK"_! At first the girl was as shocked as they were, but that rapidly turned to humiliation. While Hisoka was polite enough and held back a laugh with one hand, Illumi merely stared the girl down, a unimpressed look on his face.

"I-I'm so sorry, Master Illumi!" She stuttered in a sudden panic, "s-so clumsy of me!"

"Yes... It was. Now, what do you need?"

"Ah! Right," she cleared her throat awkwardly. "T-the captain says we'll be docking in 10 minutes."

"Very good…," his tone was dismissive but that didn't stop her from continuing to stare for a few moments. "You may leave now…"

The attendant gave a nervous jump and, with a much more controlled bow, left in a barely composed fluster of embarrassment. Hisoka might have almost felt sorry for the poor thing, but remembered that now was not the time for pity. No... right now it was time to play...


	3. Chapter 3: Showtime

**AUTHOR'S UPDATE:**

June 16th, 2015

Hey, everyone! Thank you all for your encouraging feedback, faves, and follows! At the moment, however, I'm attending school full-time (5 days a week, 12 hours a day), so I just don't have time to write much on my stories. :( Good news is that the course is only until mid-August, so I'll have lots of time then to write. Also, I'll do my best to update sooner if possible!

Thank you! - NuzzleBunny

**CHAPTER THREE  
**"Show Time"

"What? What happened?"

This was the question Hisoka asked himself. The dark ceiling above him had a three track lighting but only the middle light was lit, and was shining in his eyes as the room blurred into view. His back was cold. He concluded that he was lying on concrete and somewhere above him he heard Illumi groan. Taking his time while propping himself up, he glanced around the room through dishevelled strands of hair.

"Where are we?," Illumi suddenly asked. He seemed just as confused. Not a good sign…

"I was hoping you'd know, actually. May I assume this wasn't the part of the plan?"

"…you may… Damn."

"Just perfect."

The light crackled as it occasionally flickered over a small metal table standing at the center. He began to clumsily crawl towards it and steadied himself as the tranquillizer gradually began to wear off. Using the table to stand, Hisoka rose to his feet and closed his eyes until the world stood still. When he opened them, the first thing he noticed was the only thing on the table: a standard, pre-paid cell phone, with a charming, decorative, red ribbon that tied to a little bell. Picking it up, he inspected it carefully before beginning to search through the phone's contacts.

Nothing, nope, nada… wait…

"The Host?," Hisoka uttered under his breath.

"Found something?" As usual, Illumi never seemed to miss a beat. Not even as he still sat recomposing himself against the wall.

"A cell phone." He turned to show it to Illumi, "pre-paid, disposable, jail broken, and likely completely untraceable. However, there is contact information for someone named 'the Host'."

"Interesting…," the man's pitch-black eyes flickered for a moment, like a caged animal. "On a side note, don't you find this room… peculiar?"

Now that he was able to take a proper look around, he could see Illumi was right. It was obviously custom-made and was very, very small: no bigger than maybe two janitor's closets in size. It was pure concrete, too, and with not a single window nor door. More unsettling than the increasingly claustrophobic environment, though, he had noticed not long ago that someone had taken the liberty of putting them into their own fighting gear. It made him slightly shiver at the idea that someone had been dressing him and that they knew what he typically wore. However, that person had been a little too… kind - or perhaps foolish - when they even provided him with a limited supply of playing cards. Only 3, but he could work with that.

"Why would this fool give us weapons?," it was eerie how easily Illumi seemed to read him.

"Beats me. Maybe we should call our Host and ask?," Hisoka crooned with a smile, giving the small cell a little wiggle, and making the bell's jingle resonate gleefully through the small space. The tiniest of smiles shadowed the man's empty face and he silently waved Hisoka on. The contact information was already on the screen, so all he needed to do was hit send and then speaker phone. However, he did so with some hesitation. Something still felt off…

The line rang for a bit but, to their surprise, was quickly answered by the sound of audience applause and an almost too generic game show tune.

"W-what is this?" Illumi's eyes grew wide in mild surprise, but all Hisoka could do was silently stare at the device.

"Goooooooood morning, gentlemeeeen", a man's deep voice boomed at them through the receiver! "Or is it good afternoon? Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter from in there!"

A canned laugh track followed and caused both men to stare at one another in disbelief. Was someone playing some sort of joke? No… who would be so stupid?

"Good evening! Good night! Welcome everyone to our show! Let's get ready to play…"

"THE! CRIMSON! LOTTERY," the audience shouted back and erupted into another tremendous roar or applause.

"Let's introduce our newest contestants!" As the voice continued, the track light just above Illumi turned on in a showcase fashion: "First up is #12, Illumi Zoldyck! At 24, this Manipulator type fighter is the eldest son of the famous assassin family! Let's give it up for Illuuuumiiiii! [audience cheering]"

"What?" His expression remained calm, but the intensity of his stare, and the speed in which he rose to his feet, made it apparent that Illumi was perplexed. Being one who preferred to prepare for contingencies, he had now found himself in a rather unexpected situation that he hadn't considered to plan for.

"Our second contestant is #13, the Dark Magician, Hisoka! This 27 year old fighter is a real mystery, but one thing is certain! His Transmuter abilities are not to be trifled with! A round of applause for Hisoooooka! [audience cheering]"

"Thank you. Thank you," Hisoka squinted in the spotlight and played along with an exaggerated bow. "A game, hm?"

"Yes! Yes, indeed! And what a glorious game it is! One in which only the most talented Nen users survive! And I'm your host… the Host!"

The audience appeared to cheer extra loudly at this point and Hisoka slightly scoffed at the insecurity of this man.

"The Host?" His golden eyes flicked with increasing curiosity, "So, is there an audience watching us right now? Or just you?"

"Right, you are! We certainly have quite the lovely audience with us tonight! [audience cheer] However, they're here to be entertained! So, if they feel you two fail in this, then you should know the Crimson Lottery will quickly become… your executioner!"

The pause in the sentence was clearly held for theatrical suspense, but the responding "ooooooo"-ing and clapping from the audience was all clearly canned sound clips.

"'Ooooooo', indeed. How ominous," Hisoka smirked and couldn't help but add a tone of sarcasm.

Without warning, though, he found himself slightly thrown off, as the man's voice broke character. It grew low, as if he were speaking to himself but not realizing they could hear him. He breathed into the phone heavily:

"Confident? Oh, he's confident NOW, alright. But, he'll bleed… yes… yes, they all bleed, don't they?"

"You alright?" Illumi's interruption of the Host was blunted more in part to growing impatience than concern, and the Host seemed to shake himself from his dark thoughts:

"Uh… Yes! Of course! Shall I explain the rules of round 1, then? Listen closely to survive…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Hisoka could see Illumi looking at him with mild dismay. No doubt the man considered it rather irritating that he was egging their captor on. None-the-less, they both remained silent and waited for their instructions.

"You may have already noticed," the Host began to explain. "There are no windows nor doors in this terrible, cramped, little room you've found yourselves in. However, there IS an exit… In order to leave this room and make your way to the next part of round one, you'll simply need to find it!"

"That's it?" Illumi's soulless eyes glared into the phone suspiciously, "that sounds too easy. What's the catch?"

"Ah, yes! The catch! Nearly forgot! Thank you for reminding me! Catch is, in just 3 short minutes, we're going to kick things up a notch and start filling up this room with TOXIC GAS! [audience laughter and applause] Now, parental discretion is advised, because this substance is not for the faint of heart! We've seen what it can do before, folks! On previous contestants, the motor skills go first, followed by internal bleeding, and suffocation… but the mind is said to remain fully aware during the whole process! Unfortunately, if our dear contestants can not find their escape in the allotted time, then they too will tragically perish! [audience awwww] There, there. Don't be sad! It makes for great entertainment! [audience applause]"

The phone crackled as the Host let out a deep, bellowing laugh alongside the people's cheers before continuing:

"Oh, for contestant #12, we have an extra bit of info! Illumi, the Crimson Lottery has accounted for your high tolerance to poisons. So, this toxin is designed to still affect your motor skills, but someone will be along shortly after you're incapacitated to put a bullet in your head… just for good fun! [laugh track] Time is on the clock. Good luck, gentlemen…"

As the loud applause on the line went dead, an LED panel that had been hidden in a darkened corner began to count down from 3 minutes.

"Well, shit…" Hisoka softly chuckled to himself. "And I thought I was messed up…"

By contrast, Illumi had become quite annoyed by the situation and was likely miffed that someone had turned their mission into a gong show: "We don't have time to compare patient files, Hisoka. Let's just look for an exit."

"Hmph… Whatever… Tear down one of the walls. They're just concrete, right? A few good Ren attacks should break them."

"I suppose," Illumi sighed and began tapping against the walls to look for a weak spot.

After about 20 seconds, it became clear that the concrete was reinforced with something denser behind it. Perhaps steel? Breaking them down was not a viable option. Furthermore, their ability to perform attacks strong enough to break through walls that strong was restricted by their limited available space and the time it'd take to accomplish.

2 minutes and 15 seconds remaining.

Hisoka checked every inch of the metal table, then every nook and cranny of the phone for any devices or code inputs to open a door. Nothing. Illumi began searching the floor for signs of a trap door. Again, nothing.

1 minute 10 seconds remaining.

Hisoka began to trace his palm up and down the walls slowly to search for a hidden button. Illumi began to search the ceiling.

"Found it," Illumi announced after some time. "There's a faint outline of a hidden entrance on the ceiling here."

"Good. I think I've found something over in this corner, too."

Upon closer inspection, Illumi could see a tiny hole in one of the walls that Hisoka stood by.

"This little hole? Well, it's worth a shot… I think one of my pins will fit."

He gracefully pulled a silver pin out and slowly inserted it in as far as it could go. They heard a click and the trap door on the ceiling behind them popped open.

"Ah. Excellent," Hisoka was relieved but Illumi still noticed a problem.

"Maybe not. It's on the other side of the room and it seems as though the button in this wall is pressure sensitive. One of us can get through but the other will be stuck here. We better figure something out fast. There are only 23 seconds left."

Hisoka smiled coyly and walked over to the trap door. With a little wave, he jumped through.

"And me?" Illumi sounded annoyed.

"Undo," came the reply and the table seemed to come alive as it leapt forward and lodged itself into the exit, prying the doors open momentarily. "Better hurry!"

With 10 seconds left on the clock, the timer was now letting out a loud noise for each one that ticked away. Illumi didn't need to be told twice. He removed the pin from the wall. The doors groaned against the metal barrier in protest and began to slowly warp it under the pressure. Just moments after he made it through, toxic clouds billowed into the room behind him and, with one powerful kick, he managed to dislodge the trap door before the gas could flood through into the room they were in.

"That was close," Hisoka chimed in.

"Too close... It would seem our Host has a rather dark taste in entertainment."

"I know. It's making me all tingly," his breathing had grown shallow at the thought. "I'm getting kind of… excited."

Dusting himself off, Illumi's paused briefly and pressed a finger up to his lips, as if carefully considering the appeal of Hisoka's whimsically twisted outlook. His annoyance was gradually replaced by a soft, dark smirk. He could sense the excitement, too!

"A Crimson Lottery?," he finally sighed.

Hisoka grinned, "Challenge accepted."


End file.
